Lifting grapple for reels and the like



sept. 26, 1967 Filed Deo.

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United States Patent C) 3,343,861 LIFTNG GRAPPLE FOR REELS AND THE LIKELeon Sinicki, Bremen Township, Cook County, Ill., assignor to UnitedStates Steel Corporation, a corporation of New Jersey Filed Dec. 10,1965, Ser. No. 513,030 2 Claims. (Cl. 294-67) The present inventionrelates generally to material handling equipment and more particularlyto .an improved lifting grapple especially suitable for use with anoverhead crane for handling reels and the like.

Rope and cable reels are made in a range of sizes and usually include anarbor having a center opening therethrough and a circumferential flangeat each end.

Prior to my invention, when it was desired to lift a reel by an overheadcrane to transport it, a steel pipe or other rigid, elongated member wasfirst inserted through the center opening of the arbor longitudinally ofthe reel with its ends projecting outwardly of the anged ends of thearbor. A conventional sling attached to an overhead crane was thensecured to the projecting ends of the pipe and lifted by the crane tolift the reel and transport it to a desired location.

The reels are normally stored in a horizontal position with the edges ofthe arbor flanges resting on a floor or ground surface. Prior to myinvention, the necessity of inserting an elongated member in the arborsof the reels before they could be lifted required that the reels bepositioned with suicient space between adjacent reels to permitinsertion of the relatively long lifting member through the arbor ofeach reel. This, of course, made it necessary to provide an excessamount of space for storing and handling the reels.

Another disadvantage inherent in the practice of lifting reels by acrane with a sling and an elongated arborinsert was the danger of thesling slipping from one or both ends of the arbor-insert when the reelwas suspended in midair.

It is, accordingly, the primary object of my invention to provide animproved lifting grapple for lifting reels having arbors with a centralopening therethrough and circumferential flanges at each end thereofwhich requires a minimum amount of working space adjacent the reel andwhich positively engages the reel for lifting by an overhead crane.

lt is another object of my invention to provide a lifting grapple of thecharacter described by the above object which is readily adjustable forreels of various sizes.

It is a further object of my invention to provide an improved liftinggrapple of the character described which is simple and inexpensive tomanufacture but is rugged in construction.

It is a more specialized object of my invention to provide an improvedlifting grapple of the character described which includes a beam; a pairof spaced load hanger bars suspended from the beam, each of the barsincluding a flexible and rigid portion to facilitate manipulationthereof relative to a reel being handled; .and pin members and latchmembers on each of the hanger bars for positively engaging the arbor andcircumferential flanges of a reel for lifting by an overhead crane.

The above objects will become more apparent after referring to thefollowing `specification and attached drawing, in which:

FIGURE l is a front elevational view;

FIGURE 2 is an end View of FIGURE l; and

FIGURE 3 is a cross-sectional view taken substantially along the linelll-Ill of FIGURE l.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, reference numeral 2designates a spreader beam having an upright 3,343,861 Patented Sept.26, 1967 bail 4 intermediate its ends whereby the beam can be attachedto the hook of an overhead crane (not shown) for suspension in ahorizontal plane. The spreader beam 2 is formed by a pair of elongatedchannel sections 6 arranged in spaced back-to-back relation and securedtogether by means of transverse straps 8 welded to the tops and bottomsof the sections 6 and channel sections 9 rigidly connected with andextending transversely between channel sections 6 at their ends andintermediate the lengths thereof. The spaced arrangement of the channelsections 6 provides a central opening '10 extending longitudinally ofthe beam. Seating racks 12 having transverse notches in the upperportions thereof are rigidly connected with the backs of the channelsections 6 and extend longitudinally therealong in spaced relation toeach other on either side of the central opening 10. A pair of racks 12is provided on each side of the bail 4.

A pair of spaced load-hanger bars 14 is carried by the beam 2 by meansof mounting pins 16. Each of the hanger bars 14 normally depends fromthe beam 2 in a vertical plane and includes a relatively long, rigidlower portion 18, which is provided with a center opening 19 extendinglongitudinally substantially along the length thereof; and a relativelyshort flexible upper portion 20. The rigid lower portion 18 and flexibleupper portion 20 of each hanger bar is connected by a split thimble 22..The body of each thimble 22 is attached to the flexible portion 2.0 ofeach bar while the split portion of the thimble is connected to alongitudinally extending lug 24 on the rigid portion 18 of each bar bymeans of a pin 26 and a Cotter pin 26a. The upper end of the flexibleportion 2t) of each of the hanger bars is fitted with 1a thimble 28which has a mounting pin 16 integral therein.

inwardly directed, laterally-extending, work-engaging Vpins 30 areformed on the lower end of the hanger bars d4. A latch, designatedgenerally by reference numeral 32, is adjustably mounted on the rigidportion '18 of each of the hanger bars 14 by means of a mounting bracket34 for adjustable movement longitudinally thereof. Each of the mountingbrackets 34 is substantially rectangular in shape and tits slidably onthe hanger bar. Each of the latches 32 includes a shank 36 which extendsfrom the mounting bracket 34 through and beyond the center opening 19 ofeach hanger bar toward the opposite bar. The projecting end of eachshank 36 is formed with a hook portion 38. The end of each shank 36remote from the hook portion 38 is provided with a threaded portion 40which fits through a suitable opening in the mounting bracket 34 and isassembled therewith by means of a washer 42 and a wing nut 44. Each ofthe portions 40 is of suiiicient length to permit a degree of adjustmentof the hook portions 38 of the Shanks 36 relative to the hanger bars onwhich they are mounted so as to accommodate circumferential reel flangesof various thicknesses as will become apparent. The wing nut 44 servesto lock each of the latches 32 in adjusted position.

A handle 46 may be formed on the lower ends of each of the hanger bars14 on the sides thereof remote from the pins 30 to facilitate applyingor removing the hanger bars from a reel.

In operation, to lift a reel R having an :arbor A with a circumferentialflange F at each end thereof and a central opening C extending throughthe arbor A, the beam 2 is lowered by the hook of an overhead crane (notshown) until the pins 3i) of the hanger bars 14 are level with the endsof the central opening C of the reel R. The hanger bars are adjustedalong the length of the beam 2 in accordance with the length of the reelby seating the pins 16 in the notches of the seating racks 12 which willprovide the proper spacing between the hanger bars. It is preferablethat the bars be spaced an equal distance from the center of the beam.The handles 46 are then grasped and the bars manipulated to insert thepins 30 into the ends of the center opening C of the reel. The latches32 are held above the anges F while the pins 30 are inserted into theends of the opening C. Each of the latches 32 is then adjusted along thelengths of its respective bar 14 and the Shanks 36 adjusted to engageand clamp an edge of each of the circumferential anges F. The wing nuts44 are tightened on the portions 40 to lock the latches in clampingengagement with the i'langes F. With the reel thus positively engaged bythe lifting grapple of the invention, the hook of the overhead crane israised to lift the grapple and the reel and transport them to a desireddestination.

While I have shown but one embodiment of my invention, it will beapparent that other adaptations and modiiications may be made withoutdeparting from the scope ofthe following claims.

I claim:

1. A lifting grapple for a reel having an arbor with a longitudinalcenter opening therethrough and a circumferential flange at each endwhich comprises a horizontally extending beam adapted to be raised andlowered, a pair of vertically disposed spaced load hanger bars carriedby and depending from said beam, said hanger bars being adjustablelongitudinally along said beam, the lower ends of said hanger bars beingprovided with opposed laterally-extending work-engaging pins adapted tobe inserted into the ends of the longitudinal center opening of thearbor of said reel, latches projecting laterally from opposed sides ofsaid pair of hanger bars spaced from said pins adapted to detachablyengage and clamp the flanges of said reel, and means mounting saidlatches for adjustable movement longitudinally along said hanger bars,said latches each including a hook portion and a shank portion, saidshank portions extending substantially normal to said hanger bars andsaid hook portions being normal to said shank portions and extending ina plane substantially parallel with said bars, said shank portions beingconnected with said mounting means for longitudinal adjustable movementin a horizontal plane substantially normal to said bars whereby saidhook portions are adjustable laterally toward and away from said bars.

Z. A lifting grapple for a reel having an arbor with a longitudinalcenter opening therethrough and a circumferential flange at each endwhich comprises a horizontally extending beam adapted to be raised andlowered, a pair of vertically disposed spaced load hanger bars carriedby and depending from said beam, said hanger bars being adjustablelongitudinally along said beam, said beam having a center openingextending longitudinally therealong, each of said hanger bars having amounting pin laterally projecting from opposite sides of the end thereofremote from said pin adjustably disposed in said beam astride saidcenter opening, a series of notches in said beam extending therealongadjacent each side of said center .opening for removably receiving theends of said mounting pins, the lower ends of said hanger bars beingprovided with opposed laterally-extending work-engaging pins adapted tobe inserted into the ends of the longitudinal center opening of thearbor of said reel, and latches projecting laterally from opposed sidesof said pair of hanger bars spaced from said pins adapted to detachablyengage and clamp the flanges of said reel, each of said hanger barsincluding a rigid lower portion and a ilexible upper portion, saidexible upper portions depending from said mounting pins, and saidlatches and said workengaging pins being disposed on said rigidportions.

FOREIGN PATENTS 809,070 12/1936 France.

GERALD M. FORL-ENZA, Primary Examiner.

G. F. ABRAHAM, Assistant Examiner.

1. A LIFTING GRAPPLE FOR A REEL HAVING AN ARBOR WITH A LONGITUDINALCENTER OPENING THERETHROUGH AND A CIRCUMFERENTIAL FLANGE AT EACH ENDWHICH COMPRISES A HORIZONTALLY EXTENDING BEAM ADAPTED TO BE RAISED ANDLOWERED, A PAIR OF VERTICALLY DISPOSED SPACED LOAD HANGER BARS CARRIEDBY AND DEPENDING FROM SAID BEAM, SAID HANGER BARS BEING ADJUSTABLELONGITUDINALLY ALONG SAID BEAM, THE LOWER ENDS OF SAID HANGER BARS BEINGPROVIDED WITH OPPOSED LATERALLY-EXTENDING WORK-ENGAGING PINS ADAPTED TOBE INSERTED INTO THE ENDS OF THE LONGITUDINAL CENTER OPENING OF THEARBOR OF SAID REEL, LATCHES PROJECTING LATERALLY FROM OPPOSED SIDES OFSAID PAIR OF HANGER BARS SPACED FROM SAID PINS ADAPTED TO DETACHABLYENGAGE AND CLAMP THE FLANGES OF SAID REEL, AND MEANS MOUNTING SAIDLATCHES FOR ADJUSTABLE MOVEMENT LONGITUDINALLY ALONG SAID HANGER BARS,SAID LATCHES EACH INCLUDING A HOOK PORTION AND A SHANK PORTION, SAIDSHANK PORTIONS EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY NORMAL TO SAID HANGER BARS ANDSAID HOOK PORTIONS BEING NORMAL TO SAID SHANK PORTIONS AND EXTENDING INA PLANE SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL WITH SAID BARS, SAID SHANK PORTIONS BEINGCONNECTED WITH SAID MOUNTING MEANS FOR LONGITUDINAL ADJUSTABLE MOVEMENTIN A HORIZONTAL PLANE SUBSTANTIALLY NORMAL TO SAID BARS WHEREBY SAIDHOOK PORTIONS ARE ADJUSTABLE LATERALLY TOWARD AND AWAY FROM SAID BARS.